Child sex workers lured into brutal industry

Ria is 18 years old. She has endured more in her short existence than anyone should experience in seven lifetimes.

As she sits on her mattress on the floor of a women's refuge in the Indonesian city of Surabaya, Ria shares her story through a translator. You might expect someone shy, wary or angry. But Ria's words spill from her lips and she candidly speaks about her time as a child prostitute.

Surabaya is home to 3 million people, and about 10 million people in the surrounding areas.

It is Indonesia's second largest city and is in many ways prosperous. There are big malls and plenty of expensive cars.

The city hums and it feels more hospitable than Jakarta. The city's mayor says unemployment is low.

But this port city is also known as Indonesia's sex capital.

Non-government organisations estimate more than 2,000 women are working as prostitutes across the city's four main red light districts.

But there is a less-formal industry too, involving underage children in prostitution.

NGOs say teenagers are prone to falling into the sex industry, often lured by people they know, or, they say the young girls grow into sex work because the culture of prostitution seems normal.

Story of suffering

Ria's story is painful to hear. Her mother is dead, and her father has remarried. Ria was sent to live with her grandparents as a young girl.

They could barely scrape together enough money for her to catch any form of transport to school.

After losing her virginity to her boyfriend, Ria found out she could earn money from sex. Her friend was dating an older man. He said they could both be paid for sex.

Ria was paid 250,000 rupiah, or about $25. Her friend took a cut, so Ria took home 200,000 rupiah.

From there, she says, it was easy. At her peak, she was taking clients almost every day of the week.

Some of the families have wealthy things and other people get jealous, so it [prostitution] becomes a thing to do.

Thomas Setyoso, World Vision Australia.

She met her clients in hotel rooms where it can cost as little as 10,000 rupiah for one hour. She now describes those years as the lowest point in her life. Ria worked for three years, until she was found by an outreach worker.

Welfare groups say the proliferation of mobile phones, the internet and social media make it easier than ever for young women to fall into sex work. In this country, they say it is a by-product of a growing gap between the rich and the poor.

Thomas Setyoso from World Vision Indonesia says as well as poverty, there is a cultural aspect of increasing consumerism in Indonesia.

"In terms of the urban context, the main reason is economic," he said.

"People usually live below the standard of the monthly income. It's also because of consumerism and the materialism perspective.

"For example, in this environment some of the families have wealthy things and other people get jealous, so it [prostitution] becomes a thing to do."

Mr Setyoso says it is common for young girls to be introduced to prostitution by someone they know.

"Usually it's someone within their family or their friends as well," he said.

'It breaks my heart'

Saminah's 16-year-old daughter Lulu has been missing since February. She tells us her daughter was taken by a woman offering her employment.

She believes Lulu has been sold as a prostitute.

"I am so stressed, but I have to stay positive as well, and I am getting a lot of help from my neighbours and the crisis centre," she said through a translator.

I am baffled seeing the young girls around the area that I work, as to why they would become prostitutes. They should have been able to find other jobs and not have to do this kind of things.

'Fina', a sex worker

A working prostitute I speak to, 'Fina', says she cannot believe how many young girls are entering the industry.

She finds it hard to believe they cannot find other jobs when they have no children and their whole lives ahead of them.

"I am baffled seeing the young girls around the area that I work, as to why they would become prostitutes," she said through a translator.

"They should have been able to find other jobs and not have to do this kind of things.

"I have two daughters, so it breaks my heart to see these young girls. Even when I go back to my home village, I try not to give any signs as to who I am or what I do back in Surabaya, because I don't want my daughters to receive the impact from the neighbours or the community if they knew what I do for a living.

"I hope to say to these young girls - don't do it, find another job."

Hunting down networks

But many young girls are not in the industry by choice.

The Indonesian Commission on Child Protection says it had more than 400 reported cases of trafficking and child prostitution last year.

The commission's secretary, Maria Advianti, fears the reported cases are only the "tip of the iceberg".

"Mostly the cases of prostitution are due to economic exploitation," she said.

"The commission is trying to communicate these issues to the community, socialising, informing the people that there are child trafficking issues and there are syndicates that are always recruiting children for these purposes.

"So there is a real danger that the people and the community needs to be aware of, so when that someone offers their children a job in a far away city, they need to be cautious about this."

Ms Advianti says often a network will take girls to Sabah in Malaysia, where they work in pubs, bars or brothels.

"They're normally taken to a place far from home so they can't return," she said.

"Or if a girl was taken by a local network, she'll still be in the area where sometimes they rent a house.

"What you must find is the network. You have to find which network she's been taken by, whether it's local or Sabah, and you can trace it from there."

Seduced into prostitution

Dr Harkristuti Harkrisnowo, the director-general for human rights in Indonesia, says it is sad to find that many of the victims are from small towns and villages.

"They're coming to the cities, and many were seduced into becoming prostitutes instead of their own willingness," he said.

"We still have the hard work of trying to spread the development all over Indonesia. At present, we have developed more in the cities, and rural areas have not received sufficient attention.

"Secondly, sadly I also believe that the materialism is becoming more and more, and I think this is also the issue of the media.

"The media depicting the life of the rich and people in the remote areas have access to TV and they see that in the cities, they live very well, it is easy to get money."

Since leaving a life of prostitution, Ria says she feels good about the future. She is glad she met her outreach worker and has finished school.

She hopes to someday marry her boyfriend and start a family.

- Amy Bainbridge's visit to Indonesia was funded by DFAT as the Australian winner of this year's Elizabeth O'Neill Journalism Award.